So you’re thinking of making the leap into consulting as an experienced hire? Smart move. Consulting firms are always eager to bring in professionals who are equipped with years of real-world experience.

But you likely have tons of questions about how experienced recruiting works and what it takes to stand out. Making this transition isn’t easy. But with the right strategies and mindset, it’s absolutely achievable.

As someone who has personally made the experienced hire jump in my own career, allow me to demystify this process for you and provide some hard-won advice. In this guide, we’ll explore:

• What experienced hiring is all about
• How you can showcase your value
• Insider strategies for landing offers
• The benefits and challenges of this new path

My goal is to equip you with the confidence, mindsets, and practical tactics to absolutely crush it as you make the exciting leap into consulting. Let’s do this!

What Does Experienced Hire Mean?

An experienced hire is someone who joins a consulting firm after working for a few years in another industry or company.

Unlike fresh undergrads or MBA grads entering straight out of school, you bring real-world experience to the job.

Some key qualities of experienced hires:

• Have 2-4 years of experience under your belt. The more relevant to consulting, the better.
• Bring valuable industry knowledge or functional expertise.
• Have achieved results and shown leadership in past roles.
• Can hit the ground running on client projects instead of starting from scratch.
• Add diversity of thought from time spent outside of consulting.

Does this sound like you? Then you’re likely what firms mean by “experienced hire.”

Experienced vs. Graduate Hiring: Key Differences

While both experienced hires and grads can thrive in consulting, there are some notable differences in the recruiting process:

Aspect	Experienced Hires	Graduates
Entry Level	Varies (Consultant, Manager, etc.)	Usually Analyst or Associate
Hiring Process	Year-round, often more rigorous	Annual campus recruitment cycles
Interview Focus	Industry expertise, leadership, cases	Academic performance, potential, cases
Initial Expectations	Hit the ground running, lead quickly	Steep learning curve, gradual responsibility
Salary	Higher, based on experience	Standard entry-level compensation
Career Progression	Often faster, potential for acceleration	Structured, predictable path
Training	Focused, role-specific, shorter	Comprehensive, longer foundational training
Network	Bring existing industry connections	Build a network from scratch within the firm
Industry Knowledge	Deep expertise in specific sectors	Generalist knowledge, learn on the job
Adaptability Challenge	Adjusting to consulting methodologies	Adapting to the professional work environment
Value to Firm	Immediate expertise, client credibility	Long-term talent investment, fresh perspectives

The key takeaway? Experienced recruiting moves faster and expects candidates to hit the ground running from day one. Prepare for a sprint!

What is the Criteria for Being Considered an Experienced Hire

Now we get to the fun part – determining if you’re actually qualified as an experienced hire. What do firms seek in potential recruits at your level?

How Many Years of Experience Do You Need?

While no hard rules exist, general expectations are:

• 2-4 years for entry-level consulting roles
• 5-8 for mid-level manager or senior consultant positions
• 10+ years for senior leadership roles like Principal, Director, or Partner

However, high-potential candidates may break into consulting with less experience. Showcase your biggest accomplishments first, not just tenure. Outcomes matter most.

What Types of Experience Stand Out?

Hot recruiter tips – these backgrounds are in red hot demand nowadays:

• Fortune 500 Roles: Strategy, operations, transformations, corporate development
• Investment Banking, Private Equity
• Tech Product Management: Google, Microsoft, startups
• Data Science, Advanced Analytics
• Digital Transformation Projects
• Supply Chain, Marketing, Engineering Leadership

In a nutshell, consulting loves leaders who deliver quantifiable business impact in areas like analytics, strategy, or digital transformation. Use your resume to demonstrate this value.

Is Industry Experience or Consulting Experience More Valuable?

The short answer – firms want a blend of both because each offers unique perks:

Industry Expertise provides insider perspectives and technical fluency that generalist consulting teams lack. You understand real-world constraints and risks better.

Existing Consulting Experience means you can adapt project methodology more rapidly. But still not explicitly required at all firms.

The takeaway? Flaunt your specific areas of industry expertise since your functional fluency is hard for consultants to replicate. Strategic thinking can be learned over time through practice cases.

Hopefully, this gives you a clear sense of what makes you a strong experienced candidate! Now let’s explore the actual recruiting process.

How to Get the Job as an Experienced Hire

Crushing experienced consulting recruiting requires understanding some key differences from campus programs. Here are insider tips on how to ace the process:

Be Ready to Pounce on Opportunities Year-Round

Timing is a key contrast as compared to campus recruiting. Experienced hiring follows no fixed calendar. Openings surface anytime as client needs pop-up. Tips to capitalize:

• Set job alerts and check sites regularly so openings hit your radar quickly.
• Network year-round. In campus recruiting, networking spikes from September to November. For experienced roles, relationship-building is an always-on activity.
• Don’t fear reaching out even if no posted openings exist. Firms are often willing to create roles for exceptional candidates.
• Prepare for accelerated timelines. Experienced hiring can progress much faster than campus recruiting. React quickly when opportunities arise!

Customize Your Application Materials

Experienced candidates should tweak materials to highlight your differentiator – insider industry expertise:

Applications

• Showcase transferable skills from past roles
• Craft a compelling “Why consulting, why now?” narrative
• Emphasize experiences most relevant to consulting work

Interviews

• Discuss your industry insights more deeply
• Translate past work into consulting frameworks
• Articulate your unique value compared to a typical MBA grad

Customization Example

Maybe you have years of experience in pharmaceutical operations. Tailor your resume, essays, and talking points to highlight relevant transferable skills:

• Managing complex FDA regulations
• Building quality systems
• Leading manufacturing process improvements
• Partnering with cross-functional product teams

This level of content customization signals motivation and fit to the reviewer.

Build Core Consulting Muscles

Certain skill sets are table stakes to operate effectively as a consultant. Identify weak areas and start strengthening:

• Structured Problem-Solving: Break down messy problems through rigorous frameworks like MECE, root cause analysis, hypothesis-driven design, etc.
• Data Analytics: Build skills in both quantitative analysis and synthesizing qualitative insights from research.
• Executive Communication: Learn to compellingly persuade senior leaders through succinct and crisp insight delivery backed by data.
• Mental Flexibility: Prepare to constantly context switch across different client projects, industries, and business challenges. Variety is the spice of consulting life.
• Cross-functional Leadership: Sharpen abilities to influence and motivate disparate teams. Consulting mandates collaborating across silos to drive progress.

Activate Your Network

Consulting runs on relationships. Begin nurturing your connections now through:

• Engaging thoughtfully on LinkedIn with consultants in your target practice
• Attending industry events or conferences to connect in person
• Tapping your alumni and peer networks for introductions
• Requesting informational interviews to pick consultants’ brains
• Providing value upfront before asking directly for career help

The key? Focus on genuine rapport building over transactional interactions. Consulting is still a relatively small ecosystem reputationally.

What is the Career Path for Experienced Hires?

As an experienced candidate, you get to tap into accelerated career progression versus campus hires. But what specific titles and advancement models can you expect?

Potential Entry Points

Your first consulting gig will likely land somewhere on this spectrum:

• Analyst or Associate: 2-3 years experience
• Senior Analyst or Consultant: 3-5 years experience
• Manager or Project Leader: 5-8+ years of experience
• Principal, Director, or Partner: 8-10+ years

Exact titles vary from firm to firm. But the underlying theme is clear – more experience lets you enter consulting at higher seniority levels.

Fast-Tracking Your Ascent

While each firm has nuances, experienced hires often benefit from speedier promotion timelines:

• Early Promotions: Achievable for top first-year performers
• Specialized Development Programs: Designed to accelerate experienced talent into senior principal and partner roles
• Sales and BD Trajectory: Progress faster through the ranks by leading new business development
• High-Impact Projects = Rocket Fuel: Delivering transformational client outcomes can greatly accelerate career velocity

In short, experienced hires trade-off starting at higher titles for a steeper learning curve initially. But long-term progression can ultimately eclipse those who entered straight out of undergrad or b-school.

Is it Difficult to Join McKinsey, BCG, or Bain as an Experienced Professional?

Landing offers at elite firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain as an experienced candidate can seem daunting but is very achievable with the right strategies. Each firm has nuances to understand.

McKinsey

• More receptive to experienced hires than Bain or BCG
• Dedicated experienced recruiting teams and job boards
• Value deep industry expertise and leadership experience
• Care about analytical horsepower but interviews are still case-based

BCG

• Limited experienced openings but opportunities exist
• Seek niche subject matter experts as industry advisors
• Must demonstrate strategic thinking and cultural fit
• Interviews mirror the process for campus hires

Bain

• Historically focused more on undergrad and MBAs
• Scarcely experienced roles often require internal referrals
• Assessing motivational fit and “Bainie” potential is critical
• Cases test raw problem solving less than cultural add

The Pros and Cons of Being an Experienced Hire

Making the leap to consulting as a seasoned professional has both notable advantages and challenges to consider openly.

Pros of Being an Experienced Hire

You hold special cards that give you a leg up:

• Industry Insider Lens: Your deep knowledge unlocks unique perspectives and enhances credibility with clients.
• Battle-hardened Experience: You know what actually works in the field and can design more pragmatic solutions.
• Established Network: Your connections and relationships open doors that fresh grads lack access to.
• Personal Brand Halo: Associating with a top-tier firm bolsters your reputation and thought leadership clout immediately.

Cons of Being an Experienced Hire

All career shifts bring obstacles. Prepare to navigate some speedbumps:

• Intense Pace: Consulting projects operate at breakneck speed with tight deadlines. The intensity may surprise you initially!
• Constant Context Switching: Endless variety across clients and industries keeps you on your toes.
• Methodology Learning Curve: Adapting to new frameworks after years of ingrained legacy approaches involves an awkward phase.
• Generalist Muscle Building: Transitioning from niche expert to broad problem solver across domains feels uncomfortable but stretches your strategic muscles.
• Career Ambiguity: Exploring unscripted career paths with fuzzy timelines can be disorienting after enjoying corporate structure and roadmaps.

With the right mindset, these hurdles become growth accelerators rather than obstacles. Embrace the skin-shedding of consulting transitions as an opportunity for self-expansion into new realms of impact.

Final Words of Wisdom

Hopefully, you now have increased clarity, confidence, and strategies around transitioning to consulting as an experienced hire.

Stay growth-oriented. Commit to lifelong learning in this ever-changing business landscape. Most importantly, know that your unique experience brings tremendous value that no fresh graduate offers.

Believe in your worth. Onward and upward!